As network-attached storage devices add more powerful processors and more RAM, and as manufacturers add applications and features to differentiate their products from the competition, the line between a NAS and a low-end server continues to blur. Iomega's new px12-450r is a 12-drive, 2U NAS that shares many features with the existing px12-350r, but adds a faster processor, more RAM, support for 4TB hard drives, and support for 10 gigabit Ethernet via PCI Express expansion slots.

The new NAS is powered by a new quad-core Intel Xeon based on Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture, which, like the consumer-focused Core processors, features increased performance and lowered power consumption compared to its predecessors. Using this stronger processor and its 8GB of RAM, the px12-450r can run more applications without the need for an additional server—camera surveillance software is already available from MindTree and Soleratec, and an SDK will be available for anyone who wants to create their own programs for the px12-450r's Linux distribution.

The px12-450r is also the first of Iomega's networked storage products to include a three-year license for McAfee VirusScan Enterprise, which runs directly on the NAS to provide a layer of protection from users and devices not running antivirus software themselves. McAfee will also be included on other Iomega's px-series NAS products when it is available in the third quarter of this year, but the company says it currently has no plans to offer the software to existing customers.

The px12-450r is scheduled to launch in Q3 of 2012, and pricing starts at $7,499.

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Andrew Cunningham
Andrew wrote and edited tech news and reviews at Ars Technica from 2012 to 2017, where he still occasionally freelances; he is currently a lead editor at Wirecutter. He also records a weekly book podcast called Overdue. Twitter@AndrewWrites